Liming, China, February 2022
In 2019, A Tree for You launched a donor fundraising campaign to support the Liming Project, which funded the planting of 2900 trees in 2020. The goal is to have 2600 trees alive in a sustainable situation by the end of 2022.
A survival rate of 92.6%, a sign of the effectiveness of the technical support
After the first follow-up in November 2020 that gave excellent results (96% survival rate), the field teams conducted the second follow-up from November 18 to 21, 2021. Although there was small additional mortality, the team is very satisfied with the evolution of the plots, which show a survival rate of 92.6%.
For A Tree for You, at the end of 2021, 2686 living trees have managed to get through the stress of planting, two rainy seasons, and a winter where temperatures were regularly negative, which is very encouraging.
Through training on maintenance, fruit trees planted on agricultural parcels show a very good survival rate (between 92% and 98%) as they are regularly irrigated and maintained by the farmers.
Pinus Armandii, planted on non-agricultural land, has a lower survival rate (83%), since these plots are less supervised by the villagers. Despite the installation of an irrigation system on the project in 2020, water supply and maintenance remain more difficult for the villagers who have to walk more and use steep paths to access the plots. However, the restoration of non-agricultural plots remains an essential issue to limit land erosion. The Pinus Armandii will therefore be monitored with particular attention, and if necessary, the dead seedlings will be replanted in the spring of 2022.
Continuation of the tree maintenance training program in 2022
Additional training was conducted in March and again in mid-December 2021. These covered agroforestry and tree maintenance, particularly pruning of fruit trees, fertilization, and disease prevention. The field team coordinated the training with the leaders of the hamlets in which the trees were planted in 2018 and 2019 to demonstrate the actions on sufficiently mature trees. The farmers appreciate the hands-on, community-based aspect of the training; with these good practices, they can harvest the fruit earlier and thus diversify their income more quickly.
Income diversification: lower market price of some medicinal plants
In 2020, A Tree for You donors funded 6.667 medicinal plants, Paris Polyphylla, which were delivered and then planted by project beneficiaries with the goal of reselling the dried roots as medicinal plants. With a very long growth period of 5 to 8 years, farmers monitor market prices before deciding to harvest the roots.
In 2021 this price was below the historical price (125€/kg instead of 180€/kg 2 years ago). Although still attractive for farmers with large plots, farmers can still cultivate the plant 2-3 years before harvesting, while the market price rises. In future waves, the farmers will be encouraged to further diversify the medicinal plants they choose in order to limit their exposure to market price fluctuations.
The project’s next phase will be after the Lunar Holidays, the distribution of the second incentive to farmers, and in December 2022, the field team will conduct the third follow-up of the plots funded by A Tree for You.
